Many political pundits were shocked by the results of the Iowa caucuses, but not I. I never doubted that John Kerry and John Edwards would come out on top. In the last few weeks leading up to the caucuses, it was obvious that the bitter exchanges between Dick Gephardt and Howard Dean were beginning to take a toll on both candidates. In the last Iowa debate, Dean was constantly being put on the defensive as Edwards, Gephardt, Kerry, Joe Lieberman and even Al Sharpton attacked the Vermont governor. Meanwhile, Gephardt looked like a desperate man incessantly attacking Dean on Medicare and Social Security.

Dean may have been able to survive his disappointing third place finish in Iowa had it not been for his pitiful concession speech. After all, Ronald Reagan, George Bush (the first) and others had lost Iowa and gone on to the Presidency, but Dean's speech destroyed him. The Iowa caucuses took place on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, so it is perhaps fitting that we look to a quote from King to explain the demise of Dean. King once said,"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands in times of challenge and controversy."

Dean obviously looked great while he was the political dark horse, but when he became the front runner, he got rattled by the constant criticism from Gephardt and the media. Instead of showing poise and dignity in his concession speech, now famous in Internet lore, Dean ranted like a raving lunatic.

Dean should take comfort in the fact that he is not the first to fumble either the Democratic candidacy or the presidency by one pathetic action. For instance, there is Edmund Muskie's crying at a New Hampshire rally that resulted in his loss of the Democratic party nomination to George McGovern. Let's not forget Gary Hart and the Monkey Boat scandal that cost him the Democratic nomination to Walter Mondale. More recently, the spectacle of Michael Dukakis driving a tank resulted in his eventual loss to Bush (the father) in 1988.

Despite the precedent for blowing the nomination, I have to admit that I derived special pleasure from watching Dean's speech. Dean has the same stupid, condescending smirk that both Al Gore and President Bush have. I think he is a moderate who is parading around as a liberal. Additionally, I've been very skeptical of Dean's ability to run the United States with no foreign policy experience. Ultimately, though, I have not supported him because I don't think he can do what I desperately want: get Bush out of the White House. Many Iowans obviously agreed with me because they chose a candidate with a much better chance of winning.

For all of his faults, though, Dean has indeed something good: he has made the other Democrats better. Despite his far superior credentials, Kerry quickly plummeted in the polls as he struggled both with finding a message and establishing a connection with voters. In debates and other public appearances, Kerry looked dispassionate and choreographed.

Now, Kerry no longer appears stiff and detached. He has a message and a good sound bite for Bush- "Bring It On!" Instead of hemming and hawing about the president, he has become one of the most outspoken critics of Bush. Moreover, he opted out of the public spending limits, allowing him to use his own money and likely match Bush's fundraising prowess. For the first time since he started his campaign, Kerry seems presidential.

Although his problems were not personality related, Edwards also struggled with a message. However, after Dean's campaign, Edwards too became a fierce critic of the president. He also became the anti-Dean. Instead of an angry man, Edwards was the upbeat and energetic candidate.

Back in September, I was very worried about the chances of the Democrats in 2004. Now, thanks to Dean's campaign, we have two legitimate candidates who can challenge Bush. In Kerry, we have a liberal war hero with money and experience. In Edwards, we have a smart, good looking Southerner with a populist appeal. It is now likely that the two of them can team up for a Kerry-Edwards ticket to the White House. In conclusion, I have four words for Dean: thanks and good riddance.

counterpart.